When is National Women Physicians Day?
February 3rd is National Women Physicians Day.
What is National Women Physicians Day?
Female doctors tend to spend more time with patients than male doctors. Women have been earning medical degrees since the mid-1800s, but they still only make up a small portion of our country’s physicians. National Women Physicians Day celebrates and promotes female doctors.
Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell started the movement of women into medicine. She got her medical degree in 1849, the first woman to get such a degree in the United States. National Women Physicians Day commemorates her birthday.
The lack of women in medical leadership suggests we still have a ways to go before we reach gender parity at the hospital. So does the pay gap. And we need to stop referring to maternity leave as a “vacation.”
National Women Physicians Day combats these disparities and supports women in the medical field. By building young women’s confidence in their future potential, we can cultivate a society that compensates and rewards women and men based on their competence, regardless of their gender.
Facts about National Women Physicians Day!
- Women made up more than half medical school enrollees in 2017 for the first time in U.S. history.
- One-third of U.S. physicians are female.
- Female physicians tend to succeed more often than male doctors at persuading patients to change their lifestyle.
- The gender pay gap was 27.7% in 2017, meaning women doctors earned $105,000 less per year than male physicians.
How to celebrate National Women Physicians Day:
- If your doctor is a woman, be sure to thank her for her work. And know that you can thank a female physician even if she isn’t your doc.
- Research women who heavily influenced the medical field, such as Marie Curie or Virginia Apgar.
What’s the hashtag for National Women Physicians Day?
Use #IAmBlackwell and #NWPD on social media to celebrate women physicians.